New England Patriots: 5 Players Who Stepped Up in Super Bowl LI

4.) Trey Flowers

Going into the Super Bowl, generating pressure on both quarterbacks was important. For the Falcons, many were unsure whether or not they would be able to get to Tom Brady. In the first half, the Falcons did a really good job generating pressure on Brady. The Patriots were able to fix their protection issues in the second half, and that was one of the reasons why they made the comeback.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots were able to generate a decent amount of pressure on Matt Ryan. With center Alex Mack playing with a fractured fibula, it was hard to tell how he would be able to hold up. Mack ended up playing the entire game, but the Patriots were able to generate pressure still.

The key player on the pass-rush for the Patriots was none other than their leading sacker from the regular season. Defensive end Trey Flowers had a breakout season in his second year, and he had arguably his best game. In the Super Bowl, Flowers totaled 2.5 sacks, and he had one of the biggest plays of the game when he helped push the Falcons out of field goal range by causing pressure on Ryan. The future appears to be very bright for Flowers, and he was excellent in Super Bowl LI.